Why Early Access?

“almweit is playable and already good for many hours of fun. My testers are well past the first hour. But a building game only shows its weak spots once lots of people play it in lots of different ways. Which chain gets stuck, where a village grinds to a halt, what plays differently with two people than with one: I'll find that out faster with you than on my own. For me, Early Access means you get a say while everything can still be shaped.
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Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“I expect around six to twelve months. It'll take as long as it takes for the game to feel finished, to me and to you.
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How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

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My main goal for the full version is reliability. A village should run smoothly for a whole season, even when nobody's watching. An evening with friends should go by without disconnects, and the game should never end up in a spot it can't get out of. On top of that come carefully tuned sounds, lots of polish on the interface and balance, and whatever grows out of your feedback. I'd also like the game to be expandable with your own content.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game is fully playable, on your own, on your home network or on your own server. There's a big world, rolled fresh every time, with six landscapes, lakes, towns and caves. Add day and night, seasons and weather, well over a hundred buildings, jobs, markets, power, railways and boats. Villagers grow older, start families and have wishes of their own. The game is available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Your worlds carry over when the game updates. Still, expect some rough edges: sometimes the balance is off, sometimes a path, and some things will still change.
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Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“I plan to raise the price a little for the full version. If you buy during Early Access, you pay less and get everything that comes later at no extra cost.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Through Discord and the Steam forums. I read along there, answer questions and collect what you notice. Every update comes with a list of what changes for you and a little behind-the-scenes look at how it came together. Plenty of changes in the game already come from tester feedback, and that's exactly how it should keep going.”